Railway switch



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1. J. HAHN.

RAILWAY SWITCH.

No. 370,189. Patented Sept. 20, 1887.

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2. J. HAHN.

RAILWAY SWITCH.

No. 370,189r Patented Sept. 20, 1887.

IIIHI HHH' MHHHII .fittorney (No Model.) n 3 sheets-sheen s.

l J HAHN RAILWAY SWITCH.

Patented Sept. 20, 1887.

No. 370,189. A

UNITED STATES ATENT EETCE JOHN HAHN, OF S'I. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

RAILWAY-SWITCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 370,189, dated September 20, 1887.

Original application filed May 18, 1886, Serial No. 202,594. Divided and this application filed April Q5, 1887. Serial N o. 236,073. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern,.-

Be it known that I, JOHN HAHN, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Louis, in the State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railway- Switches; and I do declare the following to be a full,clear,and exact description ofthe inven tion,such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to certain novel improvements in railway-switches, which are adapted to be controlled by the engineer on his locomotive or on a tender, and certain mechanism upon a locomotive or car for operating the switches, the same being a division of my application for Letters Patent for improvements in mechanism for operating railway gates and signals, filed May 18, 1886, and having for its Serial No. 202,594..

The following description of my switch, when taken in connection with the claims and the annexed drawings, will enable others skilled in the art to fully understand the same.

In the annexed drawings, Figure lis a plan view of the improved switch. Figs. 2 and 3 are views of the windingup and unwinding mechanism. Fig. 4 is a perspective View of the end of a main-track rail, in section, showing an end view of one of the switch-rails and its angular lever. Fig. 5 is a vertical crosssection through dotted line 25 of Fig. 4, showing one end of the switch-rail in full lines hugging the main-track rail, and also showing the switch-rail in dotted lines adjusted away from the main-track rail. Fig. 6 is a sectional detail of the take-up device,illustrated in alplan view, Fig. l. Figs. 7 and 8 show a modifica; tion of the switch-actuating device. Fig. 9 shows an actuating-rack applied to a car-bed. Figs. l0, l1, and l2 'are views showing the manner of mounting the racks, together with the means of operating them, applied to the bed of the tender; and Fig. 13 is a sectional detail showing thc free end of one of the said racks attached to a transverse supporting-bar.

Referring to the annexed drawings by letter, A A indicate two longitudinal racks, which I have shown applied to a tender, although t-he same may be applied to a locomotive. Each rack is varranged longitudinally,

with its teeth down and its front end curved upwardly, as shown. The rear end of each rack A is connected to a crossbeam, B, which may constitute part of the tender-frame or bed of atender. This connection consists of a clip, B', rigidly secured to the said beam, having an eye, a, formed, as shown, with its end keyed to itselfand linked to an eye, a', formed on the upturned end of the rack A. The free or forward ends of the racks are supported upon a horizontal cross-bar, C, guided by hangers b, and connected to this bar by means of collared studs b', the Onecks of which pass freely through slots made through the racks, and also through the cross-bar C. The racks A are also sustained and guided by means of curved rods c c, secured at their ends to the car-bed, upon 4which grooved wheels c are free to roll, from which wheels the racks are suspended, as shownin Fig. 11. Springs c'Z are also employed in connection with the racks for keeping them down, and springs ci are used for retracting the racks laterally, so that normally they will assume the parallel position shown in Fig. 11. cally adjustable, and are raised out of action from certain spurred wheels between the rails on the road-bed, and also caused to engage therewith by means of a vertical screw-thread ed shaft, d, provided with a hand-wheel and tapped through a nut, which may be secured to the tender-bed D, and connected by a swivcl to the transverse supporting-bar C at the middle of its length, as shown iu Fig. 12.

I also employ two vertical shafts, d d', provided with hand-wheels, and connected by chains d2 cl2 to the collared studs b b. By turning these shafts a person can wind the chains upon them and move the racks later. ally, so as to bring them into alignment with the spur-wheels on the road-bed between the rails. When the said shafts are turned so as to unwind the chains (ll, the springs of will retract the racks.

E E designate the inaiirtrack rails; E E, siding-rails, and E2 E2 the switch-rails, which latter are tied together and their tapered free ends are allowed to receive lateral movement toward or from thc main-track rails. The

free or tapered ends of the said switch-rails are shaped to lie snugly against the inner sides of These racks A are verti-l ICO . j siones the main-track rails when adj usted thereto, as indicated in Figs. l and 5. In Fig. 1 the switch-rails are represented as adj usted for a clear main track.

F designates a lever which is pivoted on an arm, h, and which has pivoted to it one end of a. rod, e, the opposite end of which rod is piv. oted to a short laterally-arranged lever, e', that is pivoted to the base of the rail E at eX, and also pivoted to the tapered free end of one of the switch-rails E. Thus it will be seen that by vibrating the short lever F the said switchrails will also be vibrated and adj usted toward or from the main-track rails, as may be desired by the engineer. The endwise movement imparted to the rod e, as described, will impart suiiicient vibration to the free tapered ends of the switch-rails E2 to effect a proper operation thereof.

It is obvious that the switch-rails only require to be moved laterally a very short distance, which movement' is effec-ted as above described.

The short lever F has a chain, f, connected to one of its arms,which chain passes through a case, j', inclosing suitable guides, and is continued along the track a suitable distance, and is wound upon a flanged drum, g, keyed on a shaft, g', bearing a spurwheel, g2. spur-wheel receives rotation from aspur-wheel, g, keyed on horizontal shaft Gacting through an intermediate gear, g4. This shaft GX has its bearings in the case'gx, and a similar case, g5, and also in a stool, ge, and on this shaft are suitably keyed two spur-wheels, gl, which have their ends beveled, as shown in Fig. 2, for the purpose of insuring an easy and positive engagement of a rack, A, adjustably applied on a car-bed. The case g5 incloses a windingdrum and gearing like those in case gx, and the drum g in case g5 is connected by a chain, f2, to a sliding guide, g1", which impinges against the inner side of a main-track rail, and is connected by a rod, g1, to afollower, g1, in acase, 915, rigidly fixed to the road-bed, and acted on by a tension-spring, g, as clearly shown in Fig. 6, which device I denominate the takeup,77 for the reason that after the shifting of the switch. to leave the side track clear, the spring y, being already compressed, `will act through the medium of the device above described to turn the drums and take up the v.

slack in the connection f, thusl leaving the automatic switch mechanism in a suitable position to be operated by a passing train.

The switch may be adjusted for a siding in any suitable manner.

An ordinary hand-switch-actuating device, UL4 L5, (shown in Fig. 1,) may be adopted for shifting the switch.

When toothed or rack bars A, above referred to, are dispensed with, I employ adjustable bars on the locomotive or its tender, which have no teeth, in which case I employ the devices represented in Figs. 7 and 8, which consist of two levers, Q Q, jointed at Z and treadI of said rail.

slotted lengthwise at q g'. Through the slots q are rods, which are rigidly secured to the rails and may serve as the rods therefor. The

joint is thus allowed -to move in a plane perpendicular to the road-bed. To this joint, at Z, I attach a rack, R, which is suitably guidedand engages with the spur-wheel X on the shaft. (Shown in Fig. 7 Bythese means the switch and its adj uncts are actuated by a direct frictional contact of the said bar on a locomotive, which, when it is caused to impinge on either one of the levers Q, will depress the joint Z and cause the rack R* to rotate the wheel X., which is suitably connected to the winding-up and unwinding devices above described. The springs S Sx raise the said levers when they are relieved from pressure.

The levers Q, which I show exaggerated in relative proportions to the rail, should be at their angle Z only about four inches above the The said levers may be used either on the side or middle spur-wheel. The side spurred wheels are especially designed for yard-switching at slow speed. The engineer need not stop his train orleave it for changing a switch, as the devices are arranged in opposite directions in the road-bed, or on the side thereof, and do not interfere with each other, as the laterallysliding rail is long enough to connect at both ends with said devices and the tension-spring will compensate for retraction in either direction.

Having described my invention, what I claim isg- 1. The combination, with a car-bed, of a vertically-movable rack, means for moving this rack, one or more spurwheels keyedon a shaft located in the roadbed and bearing aA winding'drum, a chain connecting this drum with a lever, and a lever-rod pivoted to arail of the main' track, and also to a switch-rail, substantially as described. Y

v2. The combination, with a switch-rail, of a spur-wheel keyed on a shaft bearingwindingdrums located in the road-bed, and adjustable device on a car-bed for actuating` said devices, a chain connecting one of said drumsto a retracting-spring, a connecting-rod, and a chain connecting-the other drum with a switch, substantially as described.

3. The combination, with the switch-rails of la railway-track, of a vertically-movable bar,

A, adjustably -applied to a car-bed, a spurwheel keyed on a shaft, g', on the road-bed,

, adapted to be actuated by said bar A when adjusted by the engineer, a winding-drum connectcd to a lever, F, a lever pivoted to the main-track rail and alsoto a switch-rail, a rod, e, connecting said levers, ,and a retracting spring, g, acting through thc medium of chains and winding-drums, substantially as described.

4. The combination of vertically and laterally movable rack-bars with their link-con nections to a carriage-bed, the supporting 7. The combination, with the carriage- 15 frame, of the laterally and vertically adjustable racks for the purpose described, the adjusting devices therefor, and the suspensionrods and rolling supports, substantially as and for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

JOHN HAHN.

Witnesses:

C. FR. OPFENRING, JNO. D. HURoK. 

